Grown up Playdate.

I met a friend at the playground this morning.  She mentioned her afternoon plans involved a trip to the laundromat because of some home renovations that left her without a washing machine.  I suggested that she bring her dirty clothes over to my house instead.  My machines don't require quarters and her daughter would have kids and toys and a big yard to hang out in.

What did the grown ups do?

We dusted off my old pasta machine and cranked out some delicious noodles.  So simple.  So fun.  Even the kids took turns making noodles.  Emmett had a ton of fun making little shapes with the leftover bits of dough.

Sorry for the shocking lack of pictures.  It is hard to take pictures and deal with wiggly noodles at the same time.

The recipe couldn't be easier.

Home made Pasta.

Ingredients:

1 lb semolina flour (I found mine at the bulk food store)
1 cup water (to start)

Directions:

Mix flour and water together, adding more water very sparingly if necessary to make a dry, pliable dough.  Get right in there and knead for a good 10 minutes.  The dough starts out very crumbly and gritty to the touch, but as the semolina absorbs the water it turns lighter in colour and becomes very soft and workable.  The time goes by quickly when you are chatting with a friend!  You will also notice your triceps getting a good workout.

Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for 10 minutes.  This gives you time to wipe down your dusty pasta machine and figure out how to put it together again.  This will also give you time to drape some clean kitchen towels over your dining room table chairs in preparation for drying.

Pull off a ball of dough about the size of a small apricot and thread it through your machine, starting at the highest setting.  Repeat a few more times, turning the dial to lower and lower settings each time, until the dough is as thin as you want it.  We could almost see through the dough by the time we were done rolling it--I might leave it thicker next time.  Run the dough through the cutters when it is as thin as you want it.  Repeat this step over and over and over and over again until you have no dough left.

Alternatively, you can lightly dust your counter with flour, get out your rolling pin and roll the dough out by hand, and then cut it into noodles with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Gently drape your noodles over clean towels to dry.

To cook, blanch your noodles in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Home made pasta takes no time at all to cook.  Freeze any uncooked noodles.  (I dusted the uncooked noodles with extra flour and then carefully  wrapped them in parchment before sealing in a large zip top bag) You will have leftovers.  Trust me!  Be sure to send some home with your friend.